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US ELECTRIC VEHICLE MARKET
- In 2020, 296,000 units were sold in the USA. 70% of the overall sales were BEVs in 2020
- Tesla held 60% of the overall market share with Model 3 and Model S leading the way
- The dominance of Tesla will continue but their overall market share will decrease as multiple vehicles are launched
- USA will mainly be a high-performance market among EVs as the market is not mature enough for mass segments
- SUVs, Trucks and crossovers will be the main releases over the next 3-4 years
USA is one of the most prominent automobile markets in the world with 14-16 million units yearly. The market is mainly based on trucks with Ford F-150 holding the most sold vehicle tag. SUVs and crossovers are other segments popular among vehicle owners in this region.
USA is also home to prominent global OEMs such as the Detroit 3 – Ford,GM and Stellanis groups. Nissan, Toyota, and Honda are some of the foreign OEMs who have established manufacturing facilities in USA to develop and manufacture vehicles for the American customers
US ELECTRIC VEHICLE MARKET DYNAMICS
There is a $7,500 credit for EV owners in the USA currently and there is a push for raising it to $12,500. President Joe Biden has proposed $174 billion for electric vehicles and charging stations, including $100 billion for consumer rebates.
Multiple states have an extra tax benefit on top of the federal tax benefit for EVs. California is the largest market for EV sales mainly due to the incentives offered as well as the higher purchasing power in the state. In California, on top of $7,500 there is a $2,000 tax credit which decreases the overall price by $10,000 for the consumer.
US ELECTRIC VEHICLE MARKET SIZE AND FORECAST
The USA’s electric vehicle market was estimated at $xx Billion in 2020. With more than 20 EVs (BEV PHEV) in pipeline, the market volume could grow up to XX Million or xx% of new car sales by 2025.
US ELECTRIC VEHICLE MARKET CHARGING INFRASTRUCTURE
There are about 5,192 DC Fast chargers present across USA with 18,643 connectors
- Tesla runs 10,555 of the connectors (56% of the overall connectors) out of its 1,068 stations
- Electrify America and EV Go are the other prominent networks across USA for DC fast chargers
- 5,694 of the charging outlets are in California alone (30%) of the fast chargers
Biden administration has proposed $15 Billion to deploy charging stations across the country and to reach 500,000 charging stations by 2030.
US ELECTRIC VEHICLE MARKET SEGMENTATION
US ELECTRIC VEHICLE MARKET COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE
Tesla leads the way for EV sales in the USA. They began with Roadster in 2008 and now have Model 3,S,X and Y. Tesla Semi, Roadster and Cybertruck will also hit the market soon. The dominance of Tesla will remain as they increase their production capacity with a new Gigafactory in Texas.
GM launched the Ultium platform with more than 20 models to be launched by 2025, with Hummer SUV and Truck being the first models followed by Cadillac Lyriq and Chevrolet Bolt EV. LG Chem will be one of the biggest associates for GM in their electrification journey.
GM announced a $2.2 Billion investment at its Detroit-Hamtramck assembly plant to produce a variety of all-electric trucks and SUVs along with $800 Million for supplier tooling and other projects related to the launch of the new electric trucks. GM and LG Chem announced plans to build a $2.3 billion plant in Lordstown, Ohio to mass produce battery cells for electric vehicles
Ford launched Mustang Mach E and is one of the best sellers in 2021 across USA among EVs. They also announced the electric version of their most selling vehicle Ford F-150 and has 70,000 pre orders. Ford is investing ~$30 Billion for electrification of their models and this will include a battery plant in association with SK Innovation.
Stellantis, the consolidated group of FCA and PSA, will launch multiple BEVs and PHEVs across the USA mainly along the brands of Chrysler and Jeep. PSA’s stronghold in the European market will allow it to make inroads in the USA with technological knowledge as well as FCA’s consumer understanding.
USA is also home to multiple electric vehicle startups. Rivian showcased their truck and SUV and have already received large orders from Amazon and other firms for electric vans etc. Ford is also an investor in Rivian.Lucid motors showcased their electric vehicle and is expecting to take on Tesla in terms of performance and dominance among luxury electric vehicles in the country.
US ELECTRIC VEHICLE MARKET COMPANY PROFILES
ELECTRIC CAR MANUFACTURERS
THIS US ELECTRIC VEHICLE MARKET REPORT WILL ANSWER FOLLOWING QUESTIONS
- US Electric Vehicle Market size and Forecast, by region, by application
- Average B-2-B price for US Electric Vehicle Market, by region, per user
- Technology trends and related opportunity for new US Electric Vehicle Market tech suppliers
- US Electric Vehicle Market share of leading vendors, by region,
- Coronavirus impact on US Electric Vehicle Market earnings


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During an interview, an NPD Group analyst dispelled some misconceptions about the health of the gaming industry, and the impact digital games are having on sales in traditional retail outlets.
Game sales RSS
Nintendo revealed in its latest financial report how well the handheld console has been doing since launching in March of this year, and with it, the sales numbers for its biggest games.
During the latest annual meeting over in Japan, Nintendo shared some interesting facts about their new system and the games being sold for that platform including Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
Microsoft wants to 'win' Black Friday with some massive discounts on games. Titles such as Sunset Overdrive, FIFA 15 and Call of Duty Advanced Warfare have had their prices slashed.

domain: news


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MLA Comes up with Project to Promote Organic Farming
By Express News Service
Published: 28th December 2014 06:09 AM
Last Updated: 28th December 2014 06:09 AM
KOZHIKODE: In an attempt to introduce organic farming among people for a better society, K Dasan MLA has come up with a comprehensive organic farming project for Koyilandy Assembly constituency. The project aims to initiate people into farming after clearing their apprehensions on the success on this venture.
In the initial phase, a `50 crore project will be submitted to Agriculture minister for approval. “The project is part of our plan to promote organic farming among public,” said K Dasan MLA. He further said, once the project passed its formation stage, it will be implemented only after considering the geography of the regions. As per the details available, agriculture, animal husbandry, dairy development and aquaculture will be combined together in the project. “We are already into organic farming and brought wonders in our municipality,” said Koyilandy Municipality Chairperson K Santha.


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Copper fell to a nine-week low on concern that demand will falter after manufacturing in China expanded at the slowest pace in six months. Nickel tumbled the most since January 2009 and lead plunged 7.6 percent.
China is the world’s biggest metal user. A purchasing managers’ index released today by HSBC Holdings Plc and Markit Economics slid to 55.4, the lowest level since October. Copper prices dropped 5.6 percent in April, the first monthly decline since January, partly on concern that China’s efforts to cool its economy will erode demand for industrial commodities.
“China is the driver,” said Donald Selkin, the chief market strategist at National Securities Corp. in New York. “People are worried about what impact their tightening will have, and this manufacturing report shows things are already slowing. Copper will have a tough time.”
Copper futures for July delivery dropped 11.5 cents, or 3.5 percent, to $3.1785 a pound on the Comex in New York. Earlier, the price touched $3.172, the lowest level for a most-active contract since Feb. 25.
Copper for delivery in three months tumbled $404.50, or 5.4 percent, to $7,025.50 a metric ton ($3.19 a pound) on the London Metal Exchange, the biggest drop since Jan. 27, 2009.
Traders focused on the outlook for Asia and shrugged off a Commerce Department report that showed U.S. factory orders unexpectedly rose 1.3 percent in March, Selkin said. In 2009, copper prices more than doubled as Chinese imports climbed to a record.
Copper in New York is down 5 percent this year as a debt crisis in Europe spurred concern that slowing global economic growth will reduce consumption.
“This could be the start of a more sustained correction,” said Daniel Brebner, an analyst at Deutsche Bank AG in London. “China appears to be set on instilling some discipline on growth, draining liquidity to rein in inflation and control excess speculation in some asset classes, such as real estate.”
In London, nickel tumbled $1,650, or 6.3 percent, to $24,650 a ton, the biggest drop since Jan. 12, 2009.
After gaining 42 percent this year through yesterday, the metal is poised to decline as world supplies climb at the fastest pace in a decade.
Lead plummeted $170 to $2,060 a ton. The percentage loss was the biggest since Sept. 10.
Zinc dropped $138, or 6 percent, to $2,147 a ton, the largest decline since June 15.
Aluminum and tin also dropped. The LME was closed yesterday for a holiday.


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Increasing fish stock
Lagos is partnering the private sector to build infrastructure to arrest declining fish stocks, DANIEL ESSIET reports.
NIGERIA consumes more fish than it produces. According to analysts, out of the 3.2 million metric tonnes of fish consumed yearly, only 1.1 million metric tonnes are produced, leaving a huge gap.
The national production needs to increase to meet the demands of a growing population, which is expected to hit 250 million by 2030.
The increase is expected to come from aquaculture, which has the capacity to meet the nation’s demand.
In line with this, the Lagos State Government has launched a sustainable transformation of aquaculture project aimed at boosting production of nutritious fish, where more fish is consumed.
In collaboration with a private sector investor, the government is establishing the Lagos Aquaculture Centre of Excellence (L.A.C.E.) to boost fish production.
The project would increase the participation of the state underprivileged socioeconomic segments in the fast-growing aquaculture sector while also making fish more affordable and accessible.
Its Commissioner for Agriculture, Ms. Abisola Olusanya said the centre is expected to generate at least 5,000 small holder fish farms, which would, in turn, create about 1,000 indirect jobs during construction and another 500 direct jobs for people that would be engaged in the various phases of the project.
Ms. Olusanya noted that the centre, upon completion, would produce 50 million fingerlings per year; 2,000 tons of table-sized fish yearly; 20,000 tons processed fish yearly; and 24,000 tons fish feed per year and it would be using the latest technology in Recirculating Aquaculture Systems (RAS) and Semi-flow through Systems.
The project will include the establishment of a 50 million fish hatchery facility, projected 2000 tons per annum table sized fish production schedule, 24000 tons yearly fish feed mill and a 20000 tonnes per yearly fish and seafood processing centre.
The commissioner stressed that the state has to increase its fish production by at least 60,000 metric tonnes to bridge the huge deficit to meet demand.
Ms Olusanya said the state produces about 174,000 metric tonnes of fish yearly while the demand stood at over 400,000 metric tonnes, hence the need to address the huge deficit of over 226,000metric tonnes.
According to Mrs Olusanya, the LACE Project would anchor on the growth and development of aquaculture; drive the diversification of farmed fish species; contribute to food security; support 5,000 fish farmers; conduct extensive research and training focused on aquaculture farming practices in the State.
In furtherance of this, the state government signed a Joint Venture Agreement (JVA) with Dula Agro-Services Limited to train fish farmers on improved management practices, promote aquaculture practices and enhance marketing systems for aquaculture products through support for retailers.
The project would be financed by the state government and the private sector investor under the Pubic-Private Partnership and would be located on a 35-hectare land at Igbonla in the Eredo Local Council Development Area of the state.
The state is seeking urban fish farms, tertiary institutes, government agencies and other industries that can come together to help increase fish production.
The government expects the investments in the sector to increased income and employment and to provide Nigerians with better quality and healthier food at low cost.
The success of the project, seen by analysts as a base for more efforts to strengthen the aquaculture market and to contribute to food security.
The greater dream of the government is to see improved market standards in fish distribution systems.
With its support for aquaculture development, Lagos is setting an example for other states to follow. The commissioner sees increased investment in aquaculture bringing improvements in nutrition and food security as well as increased employment and income.
Under the LACE Project, the government will work closer together on the development of industrial scale aquaculture. The strategy is to expand aquaculture into an industry producing large volumes of products both for export and home consumption.
The government expects to see new breeds of fish with fast growth and high reproduction rates, which also serves the overall fish production in the state.


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During the coming holiday week, Xiaomi is planning to bring back the flagship device which apparently ran out of stock pretty quickly because the smartphone maker had not anticipated such demand when it came to India.
The Chinese smartphone maker will also be selling its Redmi 1S which is currently being sold in the Indian market. For the first time we will be seeing Xiaomi pushing off two smartphones sales in one week, leaving fans spoilt for choice.
The company intends to sell a total of 1,00,000 Xiaomi smartphones during the festival week. Considering that consumers will be on a buying spree, we could expect the handsets ending up in grey markets as well with higher price tags.
Also expected to show up this Diwali is the bigger sibling of the Redmi 1S called the Redmi Note. The current iteration of the device comes with some pretty interesting specs (1.7 GHz octa-core processor, 2 GB RAM, 13 MP camera) but we could also expect the next version of the handset to show up here with some beefed up specifications.
As for Xiaomi’s flagship device the Mi 4, it will be here only by December as Hugo Barra himself mentioned in an interview sometime back.


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Panasonic shows off first 4K Blu-ray player, but can discs survive another standard transition?
Panasonic has unveiled a new video player that will handle the next-generation of streaming 4K Blu-ray discs, but will the standard survive long enough to take advantage of the ability?
By Joel Hruska
Digital game downloads are worse for the environment than Blu-ray discs
You would think that the world would be a less polluted place if everyone switched to digital downloads, lessening the number of physical objects -- and factories to produce them -- in the world. A recent study suggests that even though removing physical objects lowers the potential for future for garbage, going digital isn't the best answer to cleaning up the planet.
1TB per disc: Sony and Panasonic team up on next-gen Blu-ray
Electronic storage has been moving away from discs for quite some time. Music is kept on our phones rather than in giant CD books that get left in the car, important documents are kept on the cloud, and flash drives and cards are becoming ever cheaper and much larger in size. Even video games -- the last bastion of optical media -- have been moving toward the cloud. However, games arguably benefit the most from increased storage, and that's why Sony and Panasonic's new 300GB disc is extremely promising for the future of gaming.
A disc-free, hard-drive-only Xbox One could be on the cards
As late as the summer of 2013, Microsoft was still toying with the idea of releasing an Xbox One model completely lacking an optical drive. That would have been a very different machine, and could have drastically changed this generation. After all of this back and forth with the gaming community, I'm left wondering if Microsoft could still release a new Xbox One SKU in the coming years with no disc support whatsoever.
How console add-ons have changed the face of gaming
Add-ons for video game consoles are an expected part of the hardware cycle. A console comes out, it starts to age, and add-on hardware is released to breathe a little more life into the platform. We've already discussed the future of add-ons for the PS4 and Xbox One, so let's take a moment to reflect on the history of console add-ons.
New optical laser can increase DVD storage up to one petabyte
As the technology world has been moving on from optical media these past few years in favor of digital downloads and flash storage, it would seem that DVDs are becoming a thing of the past. Only Blu-rays have really been able to withstand the change, and that's largely thanks to the console gaming industry. However, scientists have created a new type of optical laser that could increase the data capacity of a single DVD to one petabyte. This would certainly bring back optical media in a big way.


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The parties involved said they will coordinate “each member’s strength, such as advantages in network technologies or sales and marketing networks”.
Mobile operator NTT DoCoMo has convened with a Japanese-Thai consortium of telecoms companies, including NEC and Fujitsu, to develop an off-the-shelf private 5G system to sell to global enterprise customers. The group said it will bundle managed services on top of the networking package, launch testing in the second half of this year, and go to market next year.
The companies will target manufacturing and construction companies in Thailand from 2022, and globally thereafter; specifically, the group said it is targeting “other markets, especially in Asia-Pacific, where many manufacturing companies with high needs for digital transformation are located”.
Alongside the three Japanese outfits, and various of their subsidiaries, the consortium also includes a number of local Thai telecoms firms. These are ACTIVIO, Advanced Wireless Network Company, EXEO ASIA, and Loxley Public Company Limited. Thailand based distributor Mobile Innovation Company, a joint venture between NTT DoCoMo and Loxley Public Company Limited, is also involved.
Mitsubishi-owned AGC, formerly Asahi Glass Company, the largest manufacturer of glass in the world, is part of the setup, too — and may, as the only manufacturing company, and the non-telecoms outfit, be lined up as the sounding-board and testbed for the group’s private 5G portfolio. The group have come together under the name, the 5G Global Enterprise Consortium (5GEC).
The parties involved said they will coordinate “each member’s strength, such as advantages in network technologies or sales and marketing networks”. NTT DoCoMo said it will offer “leadership” in open radio-access network (O-RAN) technologies, with open interfaces to support mobile frequencies and devices in each country. “The consortium expects to provide users with highly flexible and optimized private 5G networks,” it said.
A statement said: “Participating members will offer the one-stop delivery of private 5G systems and related managed services, capitalizing on the key characteristics of 5G.” These “characteristics” are defined, it noted, in the various flavours of 5G NR defined in the 3GPP standards processes, variously as enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), massive machine-type communications (mMTC), and ultra-reliable low-latency communications (URLLC).
On top, the new 5GEC consortium will provide enterprises with Industry 4.0 consultancy, with a clear focus on private 5G.
Source: James Blackman (https://enterpriseiotinsights.com/author/jblackman)


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February 21 morning news, the
Up to now, CrowdStar only received $
CrowdStar has launched a number of social games on Facebook, including "Happy Aquarium" (Happy Aquarium), "Material Girl" (It Girl), "Happy Pet" (Happy Pets) and "Pirates Tycoon" (Mighty Pirates) and so on. Currently 50% of the company's traffic from international markets. CrowdStar CEO Peter Reland (Peter Relan) said the global expansion this year will be a huge market opportunity.
CrowdStar want to open up markets in the world is the mobile games market. But Reland said into the phone market, not simply be transplanted to the game CrowdStar smartphone or feature phone. "Facebook's social networking games and mobile gaming interaction completely different." In the Facebook platform, users often notice by advertisement or a game to understand and experience; but in the mobile platform, users have to download the games.
In addition, CrowdStar mobile games will be added location features. Reland that location will be a key mobile interactive elements, and this technology can seamlessly integrate with the social game.
CrowdStar particularly focus on mobile games will push notifications, and take a slight difference with the Facebook platform, means profit. Reland says virtual goods like Lg SQU-805 and Lg R510 battery will remain the main source of income, but the overall program is different.
Zynga's expansion strategy to acquire as the center, through the merger in the
Reland Another priority is to recruit talent. CrowdStar now has about 75 employees, mostly developers and artists; the company this year plans to double the number of employees. The acquisition will help achieve this goal; but Reland, said competition for talent in
The same with Zynga, Facebook social gaming platform in the CrowdStar resides in the core position. Reland said, Facebook's adjustment to the news aggregator, especially to update the game to clear from the news aggregator, the flow of the game on CrowdStar definitely had a negative impact.
But he believes, Facebook virtual currency "Credits" The launch of this ecological system is adding a new potential. Credits that will enhance the virtual commodity trading, can bring more seamless social gaming experience to be like iTunes interface platform.
On CrowdStar, this year is the key year. It is still a big gap with Zynga: There are rumors, Zynga will finance $ 500,000,000, and in 2012 launched IPO (initial public offering). In addition, EA's the Playfish, Disney also owned Playdom fierce competition in this Lg S1 battery and Lg LB52113B market. A large-scale financing to help CrowdStar in the field do not fall behind the acquisition.
However, for a start-up company, will be the laggard not a bad thing. Obviously, Reland CrowdStar platform for how to increase traffic and have a clear game plan, the new CEO is waiting to see whether we can achieve the vision. Social gaming is being more and more attention. Reland said: "The social game is in a perfect storm, while the storm around three basic areas: mobile, international and Facebook."
All right reserved!


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India’s demand for domestic palm oil still has not reached pre-pandemic levels, says RHB Research
India’s demand for domestic palm oil still has not reached pre-pandemic levels, with year-to-date (YTD) November 2021 import is 13 per cent below YTD November 2019.
Further, palm oil market share out of total edible oil imports is rather flattish, currently, at 61 per cent, RHB Research said.
The bank-backed research firm also noted that Covid-19 continues to affect demand in the hotel, restaurant and cafe (HORECA) sector as India is currently undergoing a surge in cases due to Omicron.
“While India is not in a full lockdown mode, there are restrictions in place in certain states in the red zones, including a ban on in-restaurant dining, 50 per cent capacity workforce, and the shutdown of schools and gyms, amongst others.
“As palm oil is most commonly used in the HORECA and industrial sectors, these restrictions will have an impact on demand in the future.
“Also, we understand Indian buyers are now buying palm oil on a ‘hand-to-mouth’ basis, given the high prices currently,” it said in a note today.
RHB said as edible oil prices remain high, the Indian government has taken various measures to curb inflation, such as reducing import duties, imposing stock holding limits, and suspending trading of futures and options contracts for edible oils oilseeds and agricultural products.
India’s import duties on edible oils are the government’s primary tool to reduce inflationary pressures, and changes to the rates have been occurring more regularly over the last year.
RHB Research also said the Malaysian Palm Oil Council (MPOC) expects India’s palm oil imports to be five per cent lower in 2022, to 8.2 million tonnes.
“The main reason for this is the current high CPO prices, inhibiting demand.
“Secondly, India is expected to record higher domestic oilseed production in 2022, estimated at 10-15 per cent growth, coming mainly from rapeseed output, which will dampen import demand.
“Thirdly, the current import duty structure favours crude soybean oil (SBO) as the duty imposed on SBO is 5.5 per cent, 275 basis points (bps) lower than the duty imposed on CPO (8.25 per cent), while refined palm oil is subjected to a higher duty of 13.75 per cent.
“Given the negligible SBO-CPO price gap currently, it is relatively cheaper to import SBO in India,” RHB Research said.
Meanwhile, RHB Research also said that CPO supply fundamentals this year is set to improve, with moderation in prices in the second half (2H) of 2022.
Besides that, the firm said plantation companies’ valuations this year would be dampened by environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) risks.
RHB Research has made no changes to its ‘Underweight’ call on the domestic plantation sector.
Source: The Straits Times


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It’s good to again see NPS being recognised and awarded with Eaton partner of the year.
Power Management Vendor Eaton has named its top partners during its ANZ channel partner conference in Sydney this week.
Eaton’s General Manager – Power Quality, John Atherton, said it was encouraging to see some new partners take home awards, while existing partners built on their knowledge of the vendor’s product set.
“Eaton’s partners exceed expectations every year and this year has been no different. Our partner’s success in 2019 was crucial to our success as a business and for that, I would like to say a huge thank you to them for all of their hard work.”
NPS has achieved great results in 2019. The company is growing and diversifying year on year and it has shown with Eaton (a key vendor for NPS) fabulous results
NPS is a company looking at both diversification as well as actively looking at good fit synergies / acquisitions for growth.


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We’re absolutely thrilled to announce today we received the top innovation award for the
In January 2019 Smurfit Kappa officially announced an international Design Challenge for “developing an alternative to avoid plastic stretch wrap around pallets to provide stability during transport and storage“.
The award is a recognition of my innovative solution for the Challenge which convinced the judges of Smurfit Kappa and which was selected from more than 300 international submissions.
You can find more information on the official press release of Smurfit Kappa (International) or its German version.
Smurfit Kappa is Europe’s leading corrugated packaging company, one of the leading paper-based packaging companies in the world and leader in #sustainable packaging.


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Dell has joined the bandwagon of manufacturers warning shoppers against buying its laptops and tablets from e-commerce websites. It has put up a warning against e-commerce website Snapdeal on its website and has asked people to buy from CompuIndia instead.
The warning is as follows:
– Snapdeal.com is not a Dell authorized reseller and Snapdeal.com is not authorized to make any representation for and on behalf of Dell products, benefits and entitlements.
– Dell products purchased from / on Snapdeal.com shall be entirely at your own risk , cost and consequences.
– Dell may not honor any representations, benefits, entitlements made on Dell products by /or Snapdeal.com.
It is not clear what Snapdeal did to provoke such a response from Dell. We have mailed Snapdeal asking for more details. A Dell spokesperson stated that the warning was new, but refused to state why the warning was put up now.
Update: Snapdeal’s response
“Snapdeal.com is an online marketplace where authorized sellers list their products on the platform. We take utmost care to list products only by those sellers who have the necessary authorization to sell these products. These authorized sellers already selling offline are the ones listed on our site and are selling Dell products online through our platform. Customers can be rest assured that all the products including Dell products which are available on Snapdeal.com are genuine and eligible for warranty. Further, being an online marketplace, the pricing decision solely lies with the seller listing the products.”
Not the first time: Toshiba and Lenovo had also put up notices against e-commerce websites earlier this year, but this is the first time a manufacturer has singled out an e-commerce company.
A bunch of retailers from Bangalore had raised concerns of predatory pricing by e-commerce companies in November last year, however it needs to be remembered that Snapdeal is a marketplace. So it’s not clear if Dell is against the pricing and warranty policy of one seller who may have been under cutting price on the site. It is also worth noting that many of these retailers were against e-commerce websites due to FDI policies and a lot of them signed up as sellers on eBay last month. eBay is one of the biggest investors in Snapdeal and is supposedly planning to acquire the Indian e-commerce company.
Nikon had also posted a similar warning in September last year. Flipkart and Snapdeal had responded then by saying that they list only genuine products and assured that warranty on the product will not be affected. The same should be the case with this notice too. Does that mean, this is just a small move to keep the brick and mortar sellers happy, since in our opinion, it really doesn’t matter whether an online store is an authorized partner or not as long as the warranties are honored.


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As we’ve seen in the past, ever since the Advent Vega Android-powered tablet went on sale, the demand for the device is pretty high. So high, in fact, that the company can’t seem to keep the device in stock for any longer than a handful of minutes. Of course, they’re fully aware of the situation, and they’re also aware that those who actually have the tablet are now eagerly anticipating getting an update to the recently released Android 2.3. Fortunately, it looks like they’ve got their priorities set.
While there’s no question that the team behind the tablet is already looking at getting Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) onto the tablet, they are first and foremost focusing on getting the stock refilled, and out into the customer’s hands. But, they are putting a lot of work into updating the tablet device, too. Their latest tweet suggests that Android 2.3 is coming, and that they are working on it. Just one more reason to get the tablet, right?
And remember to check out our review of the tablet right here. Just in case you were on the fence about picking one up this holiday season. Or trying to, that is.


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Once again, the value of relatively inexpensive point-of-sale video systems has been demonstrated — this time in the hate-crime-hoax category. A pastor at an Austin, Texas church that proclaims itself an LGBT-welcoming congregation accused a Whole Foods bakery of decorating a cake with a homophobic slur, launching a lawsuit and creating a media stir complete with pictures of the cake itself. But when Whole Foods announced that it had video of the transaction and planned legal steps of its own against The Church of the Open Doors, suddenly Pastor Jordan Brown started backing away … at light speed:
Whole Foods called Brown’s accusations “fraudulent” and released surveillance video from the day that Brown had bought the cake. It said that it planned on taking legal action against Brown.
On May 16, Brown released a statement to the media saying he is dropping the lawsuit. Brown said Whole Foods did “nothing wrong” and apologized for his actions. His full statement is below:
Today I am dismissing my lawsuit against Whole Foods Market. The company did nothing wrong. I was wrong to pursue this matter and use the media to perpetuate this story. I want to apologize to Whole Foods and its team members for questioning the company’s commitment to its values, and especially the bakery associate who I understand was put in a terrible position because of my actions. I apologize to the LGBT community for diverting attention from real issues. I also want to apologize to my partner, my family, my church family, and my attorney.
Translation: Please don’t sue me. Brown sang a different song to the media in mid-April, complete with tears and claims of triggering previous hate-crime incidents in his life:
Whole Foods actually announced the lawsuit a month ago, claiming all along that Brown had tried to run a scam against the chain. They released the video just a day after Brown’s tearful press conference that showed that Brown had seen the cake before purchasing it. Oh, and one other thing … that bakery employee who decorated the cake turns out to be “a member of the LGBT community,” too. D’oh!
At the time, the Austin American Statesman wondered whether the surveillance system actually contradicted Brown’s claims:
The answer to the Statesman’s question is clearly yes — or else Brown would not have issued that statement this morning. In retrospect, it seems odd that anyone would have bought this three-layer hoax at all. Whole Foods concentrates on the urban, upscale market that would be most turned off by the kind of derogatory slur that Brown accused their bakery of leaving on his cake. It seems beyond stupid to have tried a hoax like this in a well-capitalized chain that would have point-of-sale video systems. And finally, even the picture itself was a giveaway. The slur was clearly done separately from the rest of the decoration.
What was the point of this exercise, anyway? Perhaps Brown wanted to make himself the new leader for activists in the Austin community. Instead, he’s now the latest in a long line of hate-crime hoaxers, a trend that has gotten so bad that it might make for a bigger market for lawyers than actual hate crimes. Whole Foods will probably drop their lawsuit now that Brown has publicly admitted his fraud, but they shouldn’t. And Brown should be banished into oblivion too, especially by his church and his allies, but that probably won’t happen either.
Addendum: Perhaps in this age of hoaxes, even smaller businesses might want to invest in relatively inexpensive video surveillance systems. All it takes is one incident like this to make it pay off.
Update: Kevin Glass notes that Whole Foods will drop the lawsuit, and laments the decision:
On the other hand, what would they have recovered from Brown? He’s already on his way to Oblivion, with a side jaunt through Infamy. They have gotten pretty much everything they could have hoped to achieve in the countersuit already, including the public humiliation of Brown as a hoaxer. At this point they’d have to spend a ton of money on legal costs that would never be recovered, and the fight might end up perpetuating the story rather than letting it die.


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Technology that deciphers human speech is fast gaining traction, with Apple, Amazon and Microsoft leading the charge, Scott Payton says. What should web managers be doing now to prepare?
It feels like the future has been arriving particularly quickly this year.
The world's first self-driving taxi trial began in Singapore in August.
Sales of 'wearable' and 'smart home' devices like internet-enabled watches, lights and thermostats shot up.
And a slough of (relatively) affordable virtual reality headsets arrived in shops.
But another technology fast gaining traction is more likely to shape the future of corporate websites and, perhaps, transform the way people use them: voice recognition.
Speech-to-text software has been around for years. New Jersey-based Bell Laboratories created the first system, named Audrey, in 1952. Google created its first voice search tool in 2002, and started putting it in apps in 2009.
The difference today is that such technology is starting to work really well.
I bought an Amazon Echo last weekend – a tube-shaped speech-controlled speaker. It's extraordinary. I reckon that it understands 95% of what I ask – from turning on the dining room light, via changing the radio station, to what £1,000 is in euros (not much).
Like other ‘smart’ devices, the Echo is no longer a just nerdy niche: Amazon is estimated to have sold more than 5 million of them in the US alone.
Alexa, the voice recognition software that powers Amazon’s Echo (as well as a range of the firm’s other devices), is getting cleverer all the time. Amazon has more than 1,000 people working on the technology – which also improves itself by learning from users’ past speech requests.
Siri, Apple's voice assistant, is getting smarter and more ubiquitous too. Importantly for corporate web managers, Siri was installed this year on millions of Apple laptop and desktop computers.
The same is happening for PC users: Microsoft's voice assistant 'Cortana' arrived on desktops via Windows 10 last year.
Voice search is also built into Google's Chrome web browser, as well as various Google apps.
And Microsoft announced in October 2016 that it has developed speech recognition software that has reached 'human parity'.
Why is all this important for corporate websites?
Such companies are going out of their way to urge visitors to use their sites by asking questions or making requests – 'How do I apply for an internship?' 'Do you test on animals?' 'Show me the latest financial results'. And so on.
This interrogative approach to information retrieval is basically the same as that encouraged by the new wave of voice assistants.
The problem at the moment is that, like early voice recognition software, corporate sites’ natural language search engines often don't work very well. In fact, most types of corporate site search engine don't work very well (though you can read about some noble exceptions here).
This is one reason why 'traditional' navigation menus are still so vitally important on corporate sites.
But as more people get used to using the internet by talking instead of clicking, they may increasingly expect to be able to do the same on corporate sites.
Navigation buttons will almost certainly not die as a result: even when people stop feeling silly talking to a computer, it will not always be appropriate for them to do so – in a quiet office, for example.
But more people may well want to browse by mouth rather than mouse at least some of the time.
What should web managers be doing now to prepare? Improving their corporate site’s (text-based) search tools is one good starting point. If the search engine is rubbish using text, it’ll still be rubbish using speech.
Ensuring that site section labelling – and use of language in general – is crystal clear is another. If a heading is ambiguous for a human, it's also going to be ambiguous for voice-recognition software (as well as any other kind of search technology for that matter).
And, of course, it will still be important to make sure that your website actually contains the information that people are looking for. Lack of material that provides answers to visitors’ questions is one of the big areas in which many corporate sites’ existing natural language search tools fall down.
Finally, the rise of voice recognition is another reason to ensure that your site meets high accessibility standards: if the site works well for sight-impaired visitors using text-to-speech screen readers, for example, then it is more likely to work well for all users of voice recognition technology.
Indeed, like other recent technological shifts, the rise of voice recognition doesn’t rip up the existing rules of good corporate web management – it simply makes many of them more important than ever.
- Scott Payton


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By ABRAHAM AVEDIBA
PAPUA New Guinea’s traditional savings culture needs to be revived in the modern concept and the mass population educated to use all available banking services on offer.
Acting Governor of the Bank of PNG Elison Pidik said the traditional savings culture is slowly dying out because people are spending unnecessarily and end up having no money.
Mr Pidik said this during the launch last Friday of the financial capability report compiled from a survey undertaken in Lae, Morobe Province, on the spending habits of average households.
“The culture of saving has slowly died out because people have developed the attitude of spending unnecessarily.
“Between 80 and 90 per cent of the 359 households surveyed in Madang and Morobe Provinces were reported to have fallen short of money after meeting household expenses,” Mr Pidik said.
He said there appeared to be a different pattern used by urban and rural households in respect to saving cash surplus and funding cash shortfalls.
The study showed that while over 200 of the 359 households surveyed in Madang and Morobe Provinces reported planning how their income would be used, they actually amounted to nothing.
“More than half of the rural population out of the 359 households surveyed indicated they would not be able to meet unforseen expenses without borrowing,” Mr Pidik said.
He said that there may be a need for the current national financial inclusion and financial literacy strategy to be further developed.


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PHILIPPINES: National Foods drags down San Miguel in '07
San Miguel Corporation has posted a marked slide in operating profit for the first nine months of this year.
The Philippines-based conglomerate, which operates in the beer, soft drinks and spirits sectors, said today (8 November) that consolidated operating profit fell by 14% on the corresponding period a year earlier to PHP12.3bn (US$283.9m).
Group sales were up by 8% year-on-year at PHP170bn, with net profit for the year so far increasing by 15% to PHP7.07bn.
San Miguel blamed the lower than expected operating profit on the performance of its Australian National Foods division, which was affected by "persistently" high costs of dairy raw materials and imported juice concentrates due to "tight supply amid the prolonged drought" in Australia.
While the company's domestic beer business delivered 7% revenue growth in the period, international beer operations reversed last years operating loss, delivering operating profit of $4.3m.
Ginebra San Miguel, the conglomerate's spirits division, posted a 2% lift in sales to PHP9.5bn, although no profit figures were announced.
Net income was boosted by the sale of Coca-Cola Bottler Philippines earlier this year, to The Coca-Cola Company, which brought in PHP870m for the group.
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Mitsubishi says its i city car is attracting new customers to the brand.
The initial batch of 300 cars sold out within 20 days when the car went on sale in June 2007, and a further 750 of the allocated 1500 cars for 2008 have already been ordered.
Mitsubishi's own research has shown that 83% of buyers hadn't owned a Mitsubishi before, with the car's compact size being listed as the most compelling reason for choosing it.
Sales have predominantly been in the south east of England, where owners are most likely to encounter London's Congestion Charge.
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Google has acquired a microLED technology start-up Raxium for an undisclosed sum to build a new generation of augmented, virtual and mixed reality headsets. The announcement comes at the time when Meta is planning to launch four high-end VR headsets by 2024. According to a 9to5 Google report, Google was interested in microLED for augmented and mixed reality devices.
Raxium based in California will join Google’s Devices and Services team. “We are thrilled to have the team at Raxium on board to help further our goal of building helpful devices,” said Rick Osterloh, Senior Vice President, Devices & Services at Google. Raxium’s technical expertise will play a key role in Google to invest in hardware efforts, according to Google.
“The team at Raxium has spent five years creating miniaturised, cost-effective, and energy-efficient high-resolution displays that have laid the foundation for future display technologies,” Osterloh added.
According to The Verge report, Google acquired glass maker North in 2020 and is hiring engineers to build an augmented reality operating system. The tech giant will this year release its Project Iris, an augmented reality headset in development.
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News brief for Oct. 5
Restaurants help hurricane relief
Of the 668 Colorado restaurants participating in the Colorado Restaurant Association’s “Dine Out to Help Out” to aid hurricane victims, not one is from Craig.
Several area businesses already have done their part — holding their own versions of Dine Out within a week of the disaster.
The employees of Bad to the Bone raised more than $2,000 for the victims of Hurricane Katrina.
The kitchen and wait staff donated their wages, and owner Josh Lawson matched their donations.
“I’ve always tried to help out when something happens,” Lawson said.
Casa Loya also chipped in more than $500 for relief.
When Katrina hit the Gulf Coast, leaving thousands homeless and without food or water, Lawson said he felt obligated to help out.
“When you are doing well, it is time to give back,” Lawson said.
The Colorado Restaurant Association decided shortly after Hurricane Katrina hit to hold the fundraiser and waited until today to allow restaurants to decide whether to participate.
The same fundraiser netted $320,000 for the victims of the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center, and CRA spokeswoman Lynn Bronikowski expects this effort to exceed that.
“It’s an easy way for consumers to help hurricane relief efforts because they don’t have to do anything, just eat out,” she said.
Colorado’s bar, tavern and nightclub industry, and the Colorado Hotel Lodging Association are joining forces to stage a statewide hospitality-industry fundraiser today benefiting the victims of Katrina.
Today, restaurants participating in “Dine Out to Help Out;” bars, taverns and nightclubs participating in “Get Out to Help Out;” and Colorado Hotel Lodging Association members participating in “Sleep Out to Help Out” will donate at least 10 percent of their sales to hurricane relief efforts.
“The Oct. 5th statewide fundraiser is our hospitality industry’s way of helping the thousands of people — including many who work in hospitality and tourism jobs — devastated by Hurricane Katrina,” said Pete Meersman, chairman of the board of the Colorado Tourism Office and president and CEO of the Colorado Restaurant Association.
The effort is a simple way for patrons to give to Hurricane Katrina relief efforts.They simply have to go out and enjoy themselves at participating establishments, and the businesses do the giving by committing at least 10 percent of sales today.
Participating restaurants, bars, taverns, nightclubs, hotels and lodging establishments will be listed on http://www.coloradorestaurant.com.
At the Colorado Hotel Lodging Association, phones have been ringing off the hook with inquiries about helping out, but also with offers to house evacuees from New Orleans, said Ilene Kamsler, president of the Colorado Hotel Lodging Association.
Although Dine Out/Get Out/Sleep Out to Help Out are asking participants to donate a minimum of 10 percent of sales that day, many will donate considerably higher percentages, and they will collect additional donations from patrons and employees.
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Jardine Motors Group has confirmed that it has opened consultation over redundancies as part of a restructure, following the damaging effects of the coronavirus outbreak.
The business is believed to be making 521 redundancies, according to Car Dealer Magazine.
Jardine Motors Group employs around 3,600 people.
The process began yesterday, according to AM Online, and will include the closure of the group’s headquarters in Milton Keynes and a satellite facility in Colchester.
Neil Williamson said: “Following on from the well documented impact that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on the automotive industry and UK business, we have made the difficult decision to review the structure of our operations and entered into a period of consultation with our teams across the group.
“While these are challenging times, our single goal is to ensure we safeguard as many jobs as we can and as a result ensure the longevity of the business.”
Jardine Motors recently opened a Ferrari Approved used car dealership and supercar service in Kent, valued at £1.2 million.
The job losses are the latest in a devastating period for the motor trade.
The group also recently completed its £22.3 million sales of eight Volkswagen Group franchised car dealerships to Marshall Motor Holdings.
Marshall chief executive Daksh Gupta said at the time: “While the acquired businesses are currently loss making, we are confident in their future potential.
“The businesses are in excellent locations that are contiguous to our existing Volkswagen and Skoda franchises and each site is fully compliant with the latest brand requirements.”
Jardine operates from 60 different locations and represents 16 brands including Aston Martin, Ferrari, Land Rover, McLaren and Audi.
Dealer Group Lookers also announced job losses at the start of June.
The dealer group said it would be cutting 20 per cent of its workforce.
Aston Martin, Bentley, McLaren and a host of other car manufacturers have announced job losses recently too, as COVID-19 continues to challenge the automotive industry, alongside many others..
At the time, Mike Hawes, SMMT chief executive, said: “Whilst the industry is fundamentally strong and agile, it is not invincible.
“Global industries are challenged and we need to ensure the UK has in place a comprehensive strategy to support the sector and the highly skilled workforce on whom it depends.
“As the sector strives to weather the worst storm in a generation, measures to drive cash flow, stimulate demand and, above all, maintain our competitiveness are essential.
“Governments must double down on efforts to reboot economies, protect jobs and, internationally, work urgently to secure ambitious free trade agreements which avoid tariffs that add onerous cost and stifle global growth.”


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TORONTO, Ont. (February 27, 2017) — Driven by a global premiere, a global auto show debut and a diverse and intriguing roster of cars, trucks, SUVs and concept vehicles — both new and classic — the 2017 Canadian International AutoShow has posted its best year ever — for the second year in a row.
After the show’s 10-day run, 339,590 people came to the Metro Toronto Convention Centre for the AutoShow, eclipsing the old record of 320,000 set just last year.
“We have worked hard to create a show that not only showcases the latest vehicles and trends in the industry, but also celebrates what we call a Total Automotive Experience,” says Jason Campbell, General Manager of the AutoShow. “With several unique and exciting features as part of our Show, we have been able to attract new and diverse crowds, which has helped make it both a great social and shopping experience.”
The 2017 AutoShow started strong, with Media Preview Day launched with a guest appearance by Aston Martin CEO Andy Palmer and the North American unveiling — and first-ever auto show appearance — of the stunning Aston Martin AM-RB 001 hypercar concept. That was followed shortly after with Hyundai staging the world premier of its all-new 2018 Accent — the first global premiere in the history of the Canadian International AutoShow. With the Jaguar F-Type 400 Sport making its North American premiere and 38 other vehicles with a Canadian premiere, the 2017 edition of the AutoShow had strong momentum coming out of the gate, which translated into five straight days of record attendance.
The Canadian International AutoShow will return to the Metro Toronto Convention Centre February 16th to 25th, 2018. Please visit autoshow.ca for more information. Follow us on Instagram @cdnintlautoshow, chat with us on Snapchat at autoshowcanada, Like us on Facebook and join the conversation on Twitter @autoshowcanada with the hashtags #AutoShowOhCanada and #CIAS2017.
About the Canadian International AutoShow
With more than 650,000 square feet of exhibits, displays and attractions at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, the Canadian International AutoShow is not only the largest automotive expo in Canada, it is also the country’s largest consumer show — a leader in lifestyle, technology and all things automotive. Boasting more than 1,000 cars, trucks, SUVs, concept cars, exotics, classics, muscle cars, fully electric and autonomous vehicles, the 2017 AutoShow helped celebrate Canada’s 150th birthday by showcasing Canadian collectors in each feature of the show. For more information please visit www.autoshow.ca
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For more information, please contact
Media Relations Consultant
Canadian International AutoShow


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by Apparel Resources News-Desk
07-June-2019 | 2 mins read
US-based online retail giant Amazon has stepped up its investment in its Indian marketplace and has pumped Rs.2,800 crore into it. The fresh infusion comes at a time when the Seattle-headquartered firm very recently exited from China.
The firm had infused Rs.2,200 crore into its Indian business just six months ago and has so far spent upwards of US$5.5 billion.
The retail giant’s main rival is Walmart-owned Flipkart and the recent funding is expected to help the firm take on its opposing party.
Amazon India allotted 2.8 billion equity shares of Rs.10 each aggregating to Rs.2,800 crore at par on rights basis to the existing shareholders of the company, according to the regulatory documents filed by Amazon. The resolution for this capital infusion was passed by the board of directors of Amazon Seller Services on 21 May.
This also coincides with a time when Amazon is facing little downtime in India owing to recent change in the country’s e-commerce regulations. The revised e-commerce policy had barred e-commerce players from selling products through entities in which they own a stake. Vendors were also not allowed to have more than 25 per cent of their revenues coming from a single platform.
Brian T. Olsavsky, Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Amazon, had said that the company had to make structural changes to comply with all the new regulations in India.
Meanwhile, rival Flipkart has seen no fund infusion from its parent in this financial year. The last time when Flipkart got funds was in September 2018; Flipkart Singapore had then pumped Rs.34.6 billion into the Indian marketplace.
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It seems there’s lots of news surrounding Yahoo Japan (TYO:4689) today. Perhaps most notable is that the company announced its financial results for year to March 31, 2012, in which it saw sales and profit gains for the 15th straight year since its inception.
Do check out the entire financial presentation here, as it gives a great graphical overview (with lots of fun charts) of where the company excels, and why things are going well.
The company has a wide range of services, which it says are used by 84 percent of all internet users in Japan. It’s still number one in search, number one among auction sites (beating out Rakuten), and number one in e-mail (over Gmail and Microsoft’s Live Mail).
And it’s number one in news. As you can see in the chart from Yahoo in the upper right, Yahoo Japan News is accesses by more people than the news powerhouses of the Yomiuri, Mainichi, and Asahi.
Today, this is especially good news for Facebook, as Yahoo Japan News has introduced Facebook into its comment system. If you see the screenshot below, you can see that Facebook comments are now a tabbed option, right between native comments and real-time Twitter search .
The folks over at Asiajin point out that the company’s increased emphasis on social was a target area of focus noted by ex-CEO Masahiro Inoue on his departure. The company is also finding a surge in access from smartphones, and hopes to continue to serve more mobile content to capitalize on that trend.
One final pieces of news regarding Yahoo Japan today, as the company’s talks with Yahoo Inc on a share buyback (for Yahoo’s stake in Yahoo Japan) have concluded without agreement, due to a “valuation gap.”


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Apple iPhone 4S Pre-Orders Sold Out in Ten Minutes: Report
The iPhone 4S is slowly becoming available in more and more regions with 15 new countries being recently added, among which Hong Kong. The actual availability date is set for November 11 but pre-orders were up since November 4.
According to Ticonderoga Securities analyst Brian White, the latest iteration of Apple’s smartphone has sold out with pre-orders in the first 10 minutes. “This is a very positive sign for iPhone 4S demand in Greater China as Hong Kong represents the first entry of the new smartphone in the rapidly growing region and we expect the 4S to reach Mainland China in December”, said White. Those in Hong Kong who didn’t manage to click fast enough on the purchase button when pre-orders went live will have to wait until November 11 to get their 4S treat.


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Having joined the company as chief executive officer in March 2018, Colin McLean has spent the last two years introducing a new management team and refocusing the business. He tells C-Store how COVID-19 has seen the firm strengthen its supply chain by embracing digital and improving communications
The pandemic has brought with it no end of tragedy, but it has also forced businesses to make changes for the better, accelerating decisions that could otherwise have taken years.
“I wouldn’t have planned it by any choice of course, but with lots of new people in our business at the moment because we’re going through a huge turnaround it’s actually brought the teams much closer together,” says McLean. “I’ve just had 60 of them on a Zoom call just now, my cross-functional leadership team, just talking about how we are, where we’re going. We had 350 suppliers and their representatives on call a couple of weeks back as well, really just trying to use technology to keep everybody joined up.”
He points to the firm’s Scottish roots as one of its biggest strengths in surviving the COVID-19 chaos. “We have the advantage that we are genuinely Scottish and because we’ve got our own trading team, we’ve been able to take the best of Scottish local products together with the Best of Spar. Because we’ve got good links with Graham’s Dairy, Farmlay Eggs, the award winning bakeries or the local butcheries, we’ve been able to tap into good local suppliers to support stock levels over the months and we’ve been able to keep supplies moving very much over the last time period,” he explains. “We’ve been fortunate because we’ve got our own distribution centre. We had capacity, we’ve got the trucks, we’ve got the stores, we took on additional capacity. We partnered up with Brakes Foodservice in the early days to help manage the volumes.”
McLean was keen to communicate this to suppliers in order to further strengthen the group’s supply chain. “We’ve been sharing our sales performance with key suppliers to help them understand the record volumes and the opportunity for them to help support feeding the nation,” he says. “Back in the beginning of June, we shared the data with suppliers and showed convenience is driving growth at the moment. The multiples would have taken the share historically, but given the record volumes we’ve seen at wholesale and retail level, we’ve been trying to get that message across by sharing the data.
“We are the fastest growing [Spar] RDC [Regional Distribution Centre] at the moment. So the message to suppliers was: If you want part of this opportunity this is where we are, this is who we are, this is the team, our customers - both new and existing customers - are clearly shopping locally. We had 50 independent retailers on the call as well to demonstrate to them what we were doing talking to the key multiple suppliers across the UK.”
He claims that the video calls have removed the physical miles, which had been a barrier to communications in the past. “Historically, being in Dundee meant it was difficult for suppliers to come up and spend the time. We’ve certainly turned that on its head with regular Zoom calls internally and with key suppliers to keep the thing moving.”
He concedes that the group has been “a sleeping giant”. But that after five years of decline, it is now celebrating 25 months of sales growth. “The business has been underinvested,” he states. “We haven’t been customer-focused as a business and we certainly are now.”
Coronavirus has given the company time to stop and reflect on its direction of growth. “With planning, it’s [covid has] put a hold on everything we were doing, but what we have been able to do is take sensible time out to plan our programme,” he says.
“We’re looking at a macro space, we’re looking at a micro space, we’ve got some exciting new macro relays that we’re working on at the moment, we’re looking at some exciting range changes as we modernise our range - with grocery, for example, we recognise that it’s been a tired range in Scotland. How do we modernise that? How do we make it far more relevant for our customer needs? We’ve been doing a lot of good stuff around food to go and how do we differentiate our offer against the competition. I’m not going to take Tesco on, but what I can do is be a very good Scottish convenience player.”
We’ve probably learnt more in the last 14 weeks than this business has learnt in 100 years
CJ Lang is now taking a more tailored approach to ranging going forward. “Historically, we had one size fits all so our ranging proposition was very much whether it was a large store, or small store, replication of the same thing,” says McLean. “If anything, coronavirus has given the opportunity to clear out some of those older ranges and bring in those new fresh and modern ranges that customers want. We’re not going to expand grocery’s overall space, but what I can do is give a better micro proposition for people to do an all-round shop. We’ve been using CACI for the last couple of years to understand our customer missions - what are they buying - and coming back to being far more customer focused.”
The group is about to undertake a major IT systems review, remodernising systems and processes to improve efficiency. “I think there’s loads to go for, making it much easier for our retailers, for our customers to shop, taking task away,” says McLean. “Covid has demonstrated you can go faster, the opportunity is how do we bring in new systems and new processes to keep that up and keep the momentum going? Covid has demonstrated that you can have an entire business effectively working from home with key workers at the front doing a terrific job. It’s allowed us to address different ways of working and just work smarter and far more efficiently.”
The speed at which the company has adapted to the crisis is undeniably impressive. “A 100 year old business and who’d have thought we’d be first out the starting gates doing video conferences with our suppliers, actually working with them and sharing the results?” grins McLean. “The exciting part is we’ve probably learnt more in the last 14 weeks than this business has learnt in 100 years in terms of change and the exciting opportunity to move forward,whilst staying safe and managing it carefully. The brand is being modernised and represents a big opportunity as we take a hold.”


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The new set of rules defines transition for companies, dealers and retailers that will have stocks, with taxes paid under the previous regime, when the country switches to GST.
India's annual gold consumption is 800 tonnes, of which 60% is consumed by rural India.
The whole idea about etailing really is to actually have a very large addressable consumer base, digital will not have boundaries so unlike a physical retailer what you would typically see is that consumers can shop from across the country and you can fulfil the order from any location.
While the April decision initially led to panic dumping of products and sent some producers' shares tanking, normal business has largely resumed.
WGC said after plummeting last year, demand for the precious metal is unlikely to fall further.
While it was small retailers who first heeded the call of the trade body, now the large retail chains are following suit; Reliance Fresh, the grocery retailing chain of Reliance Industries, being one of them.
Online sellers write to CCI alleging predatory pricing by Flipkart’s WS Retail and Amazon’s Cloudtail
The vendors also complained that WS Retail and Cloudtail sell branded products such as phones, electronics and fastmoving consumer goods at “rock bottom prices”.
India Ratings and Research (Ind-Ra) has maintained a stable outlook on organised jewellery retailers and a negative outlook on cut and polished diamond (CPD) exporters for FY18.
Pace Automation, which has previously built software for restaurants, wants to bring 1,50,000 thousand local grocery stores onto its platform in three years and allow customers to order their groceries online from the nearest grocer.
E-commerce wholesale app, Wydr, announced the launch of a virtual live trade-fair for wholesalers and retailers across India, as it completes one year of operations.
Several kirana shops across Tamil Nadu either stopped selling bottled drinks of Pepsi and Coke or stopped placing fresh orders, following a decision that was taken by traders’ associations at the peak of the jallikattu protests in January.
CBRE sees a potential of targeting an organized market of US$ 70-US$80 billion currently, which comprises organised Indian and international retailers who are operating in India or are evaluating entering India.
This newly introduced service is in addition to the already existing retail advisory and transaction services currently being offered to the clients by the firm.
Digitising the business can help retailers with early trend detection, real-time feedback, customer-centric buying, optimised merchandising and end-to-end supply chain management, among other things.
Shares of V-Mart Retail have witnessed an upsurge in investor interest ahead of the initial public offering of Avenue Supermarts which operates retail supermarket chain DMart. The stock has jumped 53% to hit a record high of `759.85 on Thursday.Analysts said stocks of retailers are drawing interest as DMart is likely to command a high valuation of about `18,000 crore. DMart, a leading retailer, is expected to hit the market with its IPO over the next couple of weeks.Shares of V-Mart ended up 7.7% at `720.45 on the BSE on Thursday . The stock has outperformed the BSE Smallcap index, which gained a little over 5% in the last one month.“Whenever a public issue comes, peer group stocks witness a rally.Retailers are rallying based on the upcoming DMart IPO,“ said AK Prabhakar, head of research at IDBI Capital.According to independent advisor SP Tulsian, investors have realised that business model of e-commerce firms are not sustainable and therefore, they are shifting focus again to brick-and-mortar model, which is also drawing investors towards retailers.The Delhi-based firm V-Mart Retail reported a net profit of `21.2 crore in the quarter ended December 2016, up 81% from a year ago, while revenue rose 23.4% to `327 crore.Some analysts advised avoiding V-Mart as it has become expensive after the recent surge. The stock trades at a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.2, higher than the five-year average PE of 26.2.
Speakers included Kishore Biyani, group chief executive, Future Group, Vijay Shekhar Sharma, chief executive of Paytm and Hari Menon, co-founder of BigBasket.com.
Organised retailers have introduced sophisticated advertising and sales campaigns, effective inventory management systems and domestic and international brands, and have raised standards within the industry.


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Newswise — BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Increased pressure from large online retailers is reducing brick-and-mortar retailers’ sales and profits, causing numerous store closings on both local and national levels. But community engagement may be an answer for local retailers.
According to a recent study from the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s Collat School of Business, community engagement brings positive outcomes for retailers in two ways: by directly building consumer trust in, and commitment to, the retailer; and by lessening the importance of the retailer’s economic value proposition, or the perceived value of products and services sold.
“The retail landscape has been reshaped with the explosive growth of e-retailing, causing local brick-and-mortar retailers to rethink their marketing strategies in order to survive and thrive,” said Donald Lund, Ph.D., associate professor of marketing in the UAB Department of Marketing, Industrial Distribution, and Economics. “Our findings show that local retailers build stronger customer relationships through community engagement, helping to overcome economic disadvantages compared to larger online retailers.”
Results from a survey of more than 1,700 consumers show that, as retailers’ community engagement increases, the impact of economic value decreased. This shows that community engagement, a relatively low-cost strategy more accessible to local as compared to online retailers, can help combat the economic disadvantages — such as smaller markets and lower volume, among others — local retailers typically experience compared to larger online competitors.
Local retailers should focus on building strong relationship with customers, and ultimately create value in these relationships to provide high returns on investment, as well as leverage other resources that result in better financial performance for the retailer.
“Our research shows that community engagement is one such strategy local retailers can employ to succeed,” Lund said.
Indirectly, businesses can have positive success beyond community engagement, as customers become invested in the retailer and drive additional customers to the retailer through word-of-mouth.
According to Lund, this is not a new strategy for retailers; but it is one that too many large and small retailers overlook. Numerous retailers have established themselves as good community servants and benefited from their communities’ loyal patronage.
Too many retailers today are failing because of their inability to compete with larger online retailers that maintain technological and economic advantages through innovative retail strategies, such as same-day delivery in some areas by online retailers. Local retailers cannot compete with economies of scale and scope based on a large number of potential customers and efficient distribution systems. This research shows that community engagement is one strategy local retailers can employ to more effectively compete against large online retailers.
“Community engagement and personal relationships will continue to be a strategic advantage for local retailers as they adapt to the changing retail landscape,” Lund said. “Our message to local retailers is simple: Build stronger relationships with your customers, and get engaged with the local community. This research establishes community engagement as an important resource that both builds stronger relationships with consumers and allows the retailer to more effectively compete with online retailers.”
Inexpensive initiatives that can have a big impact in the minds of consumers include:
- donations to civic groups
- employee volunteerism
- scholarship grants
- sponsorship of community events
- partnerships with other local retailers
The impact of community engagement may not be felt immediately by local retailers, but long-term benefits will be realized as customers develop strong relationships with highly engaged retailers. Customers with stronger relationships are less price-sensitive and less likely to patronize other retailers.
This study, which won Best in Conference at the Society for Marketing Advances Conference in 2015 and is currently in the review process, was motivated by challenges local retailers face due to the changing retail environment, and the need to identify strategies that allow local retailers to succeed despite the inherent economic disadvantages they face compared to large online retailers. The hypotheses were tested with data collected through a large-scale survey of consumers in the southern United States.
Retailers would benefit from future research investigating the differential impact of distinct community engagement strategies on consumer relationship quality and purchase behaviors.
Known for its innovative and interdisciplinary approach to education at both the graduate and undergraduate levels, the University of Alabama at Birmingham is an internationally renowned research university and academic medical center, as well as Alabama’s largest employer, with some 23,000 employees, and has an annual economic impact exceeding $7 billion on the state. The pillars of UAB’s mission deliver knowledge that will change your world: the education of students, who are exposed to multidisciplinary learning and a new world of diversity; service and engagement in the community at home and around the globe, from free clinics in local neighborhoods to the transformational experience of the arts; drive innovation and the economic development of Birmingham and Alabama; research, the creation of new knowledge; and patient care, the outcome of ‘bench-to-bedside’ translational knowledge. Learn more at www.uab.edu.
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It has expandable storage. It doesn’t. It has expandable storage. It doesn’t.
Rumours have been going back and forth for a while now and according to the latest rumour, the upcoming Galaxy Note 5 will not feature a microSD card slot. The latest report comes courtesy of everyone’s favourite leakster @evleaks so it definitely carries some weight.
In addition to noting the lack of microSD card slot, @evleaks also confirmed a variety of other specs. His list of specs include a 5.66″ 2560×1140 display, Exynos 7420 procesor, 4GB RAM, 32GB internal storage, 16MP camera and 5MP front facing camera. All of these specs are in line with previous reports so there’s no reason to think that these are off.
Despite the stellar specs, the lack of expandable storage will undoubtedly upset some customers but then again, things have been flip flopping so much so who knows what will happen. August 13 is coming up quick so all the question marks will be answered soon.


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In president John Cywinski’s first 120 or so days at the helm of Applebee’s, he’s arrived at some stinging conclusions. Chief among them is what he referred to as “perhaps one of the brand’s strategic missteps.” Applebee’s decision to pivot its brand to a younger, more affluent demographic in recent years was a mistake.
“From my perspective, this pursuit led to decisions that created confusion among core guests as Applebee's intentionally drifted from its, what I'll call, its middle America roots and its abundant value positioning,” Cywinski said in a conference call following the chain’s second-quarter earnings release.
The former Brinker executive, who assumed the post in March, said the struggling chain is unwinding initiatives meant to bring Gen Xers and Baby Boomers back into stores, or “defensive repositioning,” as he called it.
In this, Applebee’s is taking aim at two target segments. The first Cywinski called routine traditionalists. These casual dining purists skew older and don’t mind spending more for good food. “And they tend to be creatures of habit, ordering familiar favorites more often than not,” he said.
This is a segment anchoring same-store sales of several leading chains. Texas Roadhouse, for one, is a brand that has been resistant to change, whether that’s in its menu, service, or delivery and off-premises dining.
“We're just doing the same things that we've talked about for many years now, which is just focusing on the basics,” said Scott Colosi, the 500-plus-unit chain’s president and chief financial officer in July. Traffic was up 3.1 percent and comp sales grew 3.8 percent at company-owned stores in the second quarter. While the brand rolled out some new menu items, the key, executives noted, was the fact loyal customers were the chain’s lifeblood. And if Texas Roadhouse kept performing and meeting expectations, they would keep coming back.
In Applebee’s case, shifting the focus toward millennial diners, and those “with a more independent or even sophisticated dining mindset,” sent Applebee’s down a convoluted path. Same-store sales fell 6.2 percent at the chain in the second quarter and are down 7 percent for the first six months of fiscal 2017 compared to 2016.
The second target segment Applebee’s is focusing on is “value seekers.” These guests, Cywinski said, jump from casual chain to casual chain looking for the best deal, not a specific menu item.
“Together, these segments are predisposed to like Applebee's a lot, and they make up a meaningful percentage of our core guests in revenue,” Cywinski said.
Now, how Applebee’s is going to get there is a multi-faceted question. The brand announced with its earnings, which reported revenue for the quarter of $155.2 million, that 105–135 stores would close in 2017. This was a serious boost from the 40–60 expected count announced following the first quarter.
Cywinski didn’t mince words on the subject, saying Applebee’s was shutting the door on locations that “need to close and perhaps should have closed long ago.”
They will fall into two categories: older locations in lapsed traded areas and underperforming restaurants that are well below average unit volumes and show unsustainable unit economics. These stores, which Cywinski said are “brand-damaging” in many cases, need to be shed from the 1,968-unit system. When they are, the brand will benefit from the reduction of substandard Applebee’s, he added.
“This removal of nonviable restaurants is an important tool to stabilize the financial health of franchisees, and I anticipate it continuing to a lesser extent in 2018,” he said. “It's also possible that we experience a consolidation of an existing franchise entity or the addition of a new franchisee before the end of this year as part of our ongoing optimization. Again, this is all part of our long-overdue portfolio rationalization that should have taken place probably in the normal course of business.”
Recently appointed Chief Culinary Officer Stephen Bulgarelli, the former senior director of culinary innovation at Chili’s, joined Applebee’s and will head up three culinary priorities for the brand.
No. 1: Reestablish a relevant innovation pipeline, Cywinski said. In 2016, Applebee’s focused almost solely on hand-cut wood-fired steak.
“So the broader pipeline requires replenishment. The good news is our testing process is now in place, in partnership with our marketing and insights team, and we'll begin to see tested propositions beginning early in Q1 2018,” Cywinski said.
Second, and this refers back to the guests Applebee’s is courting, is addressing quality and value gaps that emerged from the chain’s core menu satisfaction survey.
Cywinski said abundant value, presentation, taste, and possibly a reintroduction of guest favorites are in store.
Lastly, turn the spotlight to culinary. “Assess whether the brand gets credit—truly gets credit for hand-cutting steaks in the restaurant and whether we should continue with this approach. A tested guest and ops-driven decision will be reached with franchisees over the next few months,” he said.
Naturally, Applebee’s is repositioning its marketing efforts as well. Cywinski said the company has a new, fully developed 2018 brand-marketing plan, which has garnered enthusiastic support from franchisees. He said Applebee’s wants to become more relevant from a price-value perspective.
“Affordability has always been a cornerstone of the Applebee's brand and it's essential to our guests now more than ever. Bottom line, we've taken our eye off the ball here and we have work to do,” he said.
Also, better leverage guest insights and ensure strong correlation between test results and in-market performance. Thirdly, Applebee’s plans to reestablish its off-premises business as a growth engine with Scott Gladstone, the vice president of strategy, leading the charge.
The website is getting a redesign for enhanced branding in early Q4 as well.
Another note is beverage innovation, which Cywinski said Applebee’s will reignite as a driver of incremental check and revenue.
“Finally, we plan to reestablish ‘Eating Good in the Neighborhood’ as our core brand and advertising platform right out of the gate in 2018. There's equity and differentiation here and we plan to leverage it moving forward.”
“In summary, we're back to basics in virtually every respect, as we view 2017 as a transitional year for the brand,” he added. “Our optimization and turnaround is underway, but it will take time to restore Applebee's to financial health. And I don't expect that trajectory change in our performance until we begin to implement our initiatives in early 2018. We remain committed to our franchise partners and they, in turn, are aligned and enthusiastic around our vision for the future.”


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SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – After two years of pandemic issues and a drop in travelers, the tourism industry is seeing a comeback.
Visit Santa Barbara President Kathy Janega-Dykes spoke to a tourism summit session Wednesday afternoon and said, “in the last five weeks our hotels have sold more occupied rooms than they ever did over the same period. That is incredibly remarkable and it is not something we are seeing every else.”
Marketing and advertising has been done “surgically” she said.
Among the speakers, Caroline Beteta the Visit California President. She said “while we all have good news right now the competition is very fierce out there and we are really looking at head winds competitively.”
Many other states have been aggressive in their ad campaigns at a time when California was cautious about fully reopening. There’s some catching up to do for the state tourism industry.
Analysts say travelers are ready. 87 percent are planning at least one leisure trip in the next two months according to Erin Francis-Cummings the President of Destination Analysts.
The meeting was in a filled room at the newly renovated Cabrillo Pavillion at the Santa Barbara waterfront.
In the distance, the Majestic Princess cruise ship, stopping for the day and bringing boat loads of visitors to the area.
Trendy ad campaigns have been developed for California, focusing on adventure, kids trips, culinary areas and outside adventures.
Local resident and honored actor Kevin Costner is also features on the cover of the Visit California magazine posing in front a convertible overlooking the Santa Barbara County shores.
“We’re calling it the great travel comeback and it’s clearly underway here on the south coast,” said Janega-Dykes.
She said, “the decision to reimagine State Street was brilliant. It truely has been a game changer for visitor experience.”
Domestic business is driving the industry’s rapid return, which is about 12 months ahead of predictions.
Some concerns going forward including the rising cost of gas and any impacts from a new COVID variant.


text: Tech shoppers who use online video to inform their decision-making spend 21% more on tech devices than shoppers who don’t use online video. Related Data 75% of shoppers surveyed say they have used a Google product (Search, Maps, YouTube) in the past week to help with their shopping. Mobile searches for “best laptop(s) for ___” have grown by over 100% in the past two years (e.g., “best laptops for college,” “best laptops for seniors,” and “beast laptops for gaming”). +60 % Mobile searches for “best vacuum” have grown over +60% in the past two years. Mobile searches for “best wireless headphone(s)” have grown by over 80% in the past two years (e.g., ”best wireless headphones for running,” ”best wireless headphones for working out,” and ”best wireless headphones 2018”). Mobile searches for “tv with” have grown by over 60% in the past two years. Smart speakers, smartwatches, wireless headphones, and wireless speakers are among the top consumer electronic devices purchased on a mobile phone. Gaming consoles, smartphones, and smart TVs are still typically purchased in stores.


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For suddenly thrifty dot-coms looking to squeeze every penny out of their remaining funding, the key to building name recognition may not be Super Bowl or radio ads, but apples and oranges.
Courtesy of the Fruit Label Co., small labels branded with a business' logo can be slapped on fresh produce for a fraction of what it costs to advertise in traditional media.
The Tarzana-based company serves as an intermediary between fruit growers and advertisers. Businesses (or their ad agencies) looking to use the unusual advertising method can contact Fruit Label, which then makes the stickers and makes deals with fruit suppliers to slap them on their produce.
It works much like the ubiquitous Chiquita sticker on bananas but these labels are emblazoned with logos for TV shows, Web sites and other business ventures.
Since search engine Ask Jeeves partnered with the company in a campaign earlier this year, a number of other tech companies have looked into the unusual idea. "We have been inundated by dot-com companies," said Irv Weinhaus, the company's president.
The company does not plan to launch ads for other dot-coms this year, considering the size of its deal with Ask Jeeves, which has already ordered 200 million labels. Fruit Label is, however, currently hammering out deals for 2001 with dot-coms, movie and video companies, cable television networks, and other businesses that would like to reach a national audience. Weinhaus wouldn't reveal their names because contracts are still being negotiated.
Sudden growth spurt
When Fruit Label was founded two years ago, the average order size was 15 million labels; that has risen to a typical order of 60 million to 100 million. The cost, at $2.97 per thousand stickers, means a company would need to spend $297,000 to get its logo on 100 million pieces of fruit.
That's a little more than the $250,000 a company would have to pay for a 30-second commercial during ABC's hit game show, "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" which reaches over 16 million homes across the country.
The obvious advantages of a radio or television ad are that a company has time to get detailed information about its services and products out to the public, whereas the labels are a quick hit. But unlike television or radio, you can't tune out a fruit label by surfing channels. The labels are viewed not only by consumers of the fruit, but also by shoppers who are merely passing through supermarket produce sections.
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Shroud of Orlando (Brenda Lee Marquez McCool) featured in online show
Shroud of Orlando (Brenda Lee Marquez McCool) is being featured in the Nasty Women Everywhere online show based out of Melbourne, Australia. The image uses contemporary stitch on a large, plastic shopping bag. For more info about the artwork and concept, go here.
Nasty Women Everywhere.org supports victims of family violence.


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by TaLeiza Calloway
It’s hard for Jeff Engholm to imagine St. Joseph without the Local Blend. He doesn’t feel this way because he’s co-owner of the coffee shop and wine bar. He was a customer first and it’s simply always been there.
Before Engholm and his wife, Stacie, took ownership of the business years ago, he would frequent the business as a customer while working as an audio engineer for Rockhouse Productions, the coffee shop’s next door neighbor. It was routine for him to stop by and grab a cup of coffee from what was then called “The Meeting Grounds.”
In the last five years, the town hub houses much more than coffee, and plans are to keep growing. This year marks the fifth year the Local Blend has been in business.
“Earth Day is our birthday,” Engholm said with a smile. “April 22, 2008.”
Those five years have been memorable, and he’s looking forward to the next five.
Engholm is a music teacher at St. John’s Preparatory School in Collegeville. Stacie serves as the general manager of the business. They live right above the Local Blend. To say it’s their home reiterates the true meaning of a family business.
Engholm is also a musician so adding a musical element to the establishment was one of the first things he wanted to do when he and his wife gained the business.
They have an open mic night every Tuesday and several musical performances throughout the year, including live music every Friday. One recent addition was hosting a Songwriters Weekend for local artists.
The Meeting Grounds opened in the early 90s. The St. Joseph location was one of the first stores to open. Before the Engholms took over, the coffee shop was a little smaller in terms of volume and was privately owned. The owners, who consisted of a group of couples, were interested in selling the business and eventually approached Jeff and Stacie about the opportunity.
The owners before them changed the business name to “The Local Blend.”
“It was an offer we couldn’t refuse,” he said. “We figured they had just changed (the name) a year before we bought it and it worked. So, why change it?”
The name reflects the vibe of the business’ atmosphere. Whether it’s a family stopping in for dinner or students gathering to study, there’s a blend of interaction that takes place at 19 W. Minnesota St.
Some of the most notable changes in the last five years include the addition of music, building a new stage and installing a sound system. Music offerings went from occasional events to a more regular occurrence.
“We have a regular schedule of music and an open mic,” he said. “Being a musician myself, I wish I would’ve had a space in my early days to explore and experiment. I thought it was a good fit and it turned out to be.”
Songwriters Adam Hammer and Dave Cofell spearhead the open mic and keep it going. He’s grateful for their help.
“One of the best things that happened to this place was these two,” he said.
Other changes include modifications to the food department. Customers can not only grab a coffee or hot chocolate but dinner and desserts.
Within the first year, Stacie led the building of a bakery in the back of the business and expanded the food menu, improving the ingredients. When the business started, there wasn’t much of a lunch crowd. That is no longer the case and quality products are key.
“That was always a priority for us to use top-quality everything and be as local and organic as we possibly could,” he said. “That was important to us.”
As the business continues to grow, space is a constant issue. The next step is deciding what to do to address the increase in service.
“There’s two ways we could keep growing,” he said. “We could expand our seating or we could expand the catering and bakery end of things and become more of a delivery bakery.”
The vision they had years ago is always changing but is coming to fruition. They’ve gotten away from hiring part-time employees and instead have invested in staff training to make sure everyone can do everything. Whether it’s making sandwiches or preparing beverages, all hands know the operations of the business.
The Local Blend has 13 employees. That includes two full-time bakers and the rest make up the barista crew. There are six full-time employees. In the past year they’ve created a management structure.
Vahna Ahlbrecht lives just blocks away from the St. Joseph business. The 23-year-old has worked as a barista for the Local Blend for three years.
“I love my job,” Ahlbrecht said. “I love the regulars. The business is fitting for St. Joseph.”
When you walk into the Local Blend, you’ll see that it’s an informal place where one can be comfortable. That’s the vibe the owners are going for.
“It’s kind of a community center,” Engholm said. “A lot of business deals get done here, grades entered and student meetings.”
People like that the baristas on staff know the customers and what they’re going to order.
“You’ve got to make everybody feel like they’re a part of the community,” Engholm said.
In the next five years, Engholm said he’d like to see the bakery do more and tackle space needs. The city has been supportive of the business and he hopes that support continues in the future. Looking back, he’s pleased with how far the business has come.
“It grows and grows. We had four years of just unbelievable growth,” Engholm said. “We were growing 25 percent annually in terms of volume. It’s coming along. It’s a long-term investment.”